FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Scyllaridae 1037
Parribacus antarcticus (Lund, 1793)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Parribacus ursus major (Herbst, 1793) / None.
FAO names: En - Sculptured mitten lobster;
Fr - Cigale savate; Sp - Cigarra chinesa.
Diagnostic characters: Body extremely
flattened, with dorsal surface uniformly
covered with scale-like tubercles and short
hairs. Carapace with distinct rostral tooth;
without branchial ridge but with deep cervical
incisions; lateral margin cut into large teeth.
Eyes small and subspherical; orbits not closed
and situated on anterior margin of carapace.
Antennae broad, flattened and plate-like;
fourth segment armed with 6 large outer
teeth (sometimes bifurcated and excluding
apical tooth). All legs without pincers and
similar in size. Abdomen with median carina
on second and third segments markedly
elevated; transverse grooves separating
articulated and non-articulated parts of
each segment are wide and almost naked;
fifth segment without posteromedian
spine; pleura directed laterally. Posterior
half of tail fan soft and flexible. Colour: body
yellowish and mottled with brown and black
patches. Rostrum and orbital margin
purplish. Eyes black. Large teeth on lateral
carapace and antennae intricately banded
with yellow, orange, light purple, deep
brown and black distally. Abdomen with 2
black lateral lines; central region of first
segment yellowish with some brown
patches. Ventral surface of body greenish
yellow, with pale green spots. Legs
greenish yellow and covered with green
bands, becoming rather inconspicuous on
(from Holthuis, 1985)
ventral surfaces. Tail fan light brown with
deep blue dots.
Size: Maximum body length about 20 cm, commonly between 12 and 15 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Lives in coral and stone reefs from shallow waters to a depth of 20 m.
Nocturnal and sometimes found in small groups, hiding inside crevices and undercuts of reefs during
daytime. Fished throughout its range but nowhere abundant. A common incidental catch for fisheries of
spiny lobsters and caught by divers (using hand and spear), or by dipnets or tangle nets. Often considered
as a delicacy, comparable to spiny lobsters, and mainly sold live or fresh in local markets.
Distribution: Worldwide in
tropical seas and has been
recorded in the Western
Atlantic from the Caribbeans
to Brazil, and in the Indo-West
Pacific from the east coast of
Africa to Taiwan Province of
China, Hawaii, and French
Polynesia.
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